Thursday, September 29, 2011

iPod of my mind: Musical unforgettables part eight

The search for good music is an endless journey. And the discoveries as we go along are such that we don’t stop to seek breathing space. We just go on and on…

Ten more delightful tracks for you, without any regard for chronology or genre as usual. As I have told you earlier, I don’t believe in the relevance of either.

The road to hell, Chris Rea: Rea is an all-round musician and The road to hell, a two-part track, his biggest ever success so far. The guttural edge in his voice combines with superb lyrics and guitaring to make this rock track, one to die for.

Morning train, Sheena Easton: I must confess that I enjoy some pop tracks that are meant for easy listening and don’t mean too much beyond the obvious. Morning Train by this Scottish singer features in that list of mine. Good to hear but, more importantly, a fairly pleasing memory.

Sledgehammer, Peter Gabriel: This track by Gabriel, a monster hit with sexual innuendos in its lyrics and diverse experiments with instrumentation, continues to be a major feature in many musical circles more than 25 years after it was released. Of course, you must check the video.

Itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka dot bikini, Bryan Hyland: They call this bubblegum pop. All I do know – and what matters to me – is that this short and lively track with its fun lyrics can be enjoyed in a hurry but not forgotten as fast. Great stuff.

Everybody hurts, R.E.M.: When alternative rock aspires to be outstanding, a song like this is born. This cut targets the teenagers, and the vocals of Michael Stipe and Peter Buck’s style of guitaring make this one a modern-day classic of alternative rock. By the way, the video inspired by filmmaker Federico Fellini’s 8 ½ is fantastic in its own right.

Lucky lips, Cliff Richard: Typically Cliff. Not much adventure. Pretty much within his range. Pretty likable too.

No love, Eminem featuring Lil Wayne: Eminem is seriously talented. So is Lil Wayne. This song, that samples Eurodance performer Haddaway’s biggest career hit What is love, is hip hop when it is remarkably good. Listen without prejudice.

Layla, Eric Clapton and Wynton Marsalis: I know you must be wondering: what the hell is this? Well guys, the thing is, I am hearing this version right now. It is a ‘live’ performance, with the two maestros sounding heavenly in an act of mind-blowing experimentation. The original Layla stays in my list of favourites for being the way it is. But this one has its own jazz-soaked charm. Check it out.

There’ll be some changes made, Mark Knopfler and Chet Atkins: Knopfler and Atkins came together for a country album titled Neck and Neck. My personal favourite is There’ll be some changes made. The two masters of two diverse styles have a ball in this one.

Roll over Beethoven, Chuck Berry: Should rhythm and blues take over from classical music (hence, Beethoven)? Berry evidently thought so, leading to one of the greatest rock and roll tracks of all time.

Particularly happy to include the version of Layla that I heard today. It sounds really good to me.

1 comment:

Chandan said...

This a really nice collection..do hope Supertramp,Smokie,Lobo..they bubble up somewhere in this musical journey of yours.
Pretty unique & definitely very pleasing blog.